Tea Party Senator Jim DeMint To Resign

“It’s been an honor to serve the people of South Carolina in the United States Senate for the past eight years, but now it’s time for me to pass the torch to someone else and take on a new role in the fight for America’s future,” DeMint said in a statement.

DeMint, who has often fought the GOP establishment on budget issues, has long made clear that the Republican Party needs to stick to conservative principles. Through the Senate Conservatives Fund, his political action committee, DeMint has financially supported the candidacies of conservatives such as Pennsylvania’s Pat Toomey and Florida’s Marco Rubio.

In his statement, the founder of the Senate’s Tea Party Caucus said he is joining the think tank because “the conservative movement needs strong leadership in the battle of ideas.”